Rod Lees
Reviews By Author
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Wessex UH.5/HU.5 Landing GearPublished:
This is a simple upgrade, consisting of four items (both struts and two steps); it improves on the kit items by a major factor in that you don’t have to glue what is a basic triangle with an angle as the kit would have you do – see the comparison picture below, where the kit-supplied oleo strut is separate from the torsion strut. On the real aircraft, this provides dual purpose action in that it dampens impact with the ground without causing the aircraft to rebound, which could result in really bad things with moving rotor blades. (This was changed on some versions by using an “A” frame strut, replacing the torsion bar completely. This is the version Revell used for their release from 1987. I can’t vouch for the effectiveness of this modification, but it’s obviously a bit more… more |
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MiG-29 Fulcrum A Landing GearPublished:
SAC continues its prolific output of gear to handle the loads on our models Thanks to Russ at SAC for providing IPMS USA this set, and IPMS for sending it to me for review! This set improves on Revell’s 1/32 MiG-29 Fulcrum A’s items in two ways – it has both main gear strut halves combined into one item, so there is no seam to fill (a bit of a swipe with wet/dry emery board after scraping the almost imperceptible mold line, and you are done), and it adds structural rigidity to a kit requiring it due to sheer size and weight. This is particularly true if you use a lot of resin aftermarket, which the Revell MiG- 29 needs to bring it up to standard. Besides the main gear, three actuator struts and one nose gear with separate side braces are included, all necessary as… more |
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T-50 Advanced TrainerPublished:
Thanks once again to Akiko at MRC for providing IPMS USA the opportunity to review one of their products…and IPMS USA for forwarding it to me to do the review! This kit is a sleeper. The reason I say that is I would not have purchased it on a whim. It’s a cool-looking “Indigenous” production of the Korean defense industry, designed as an advanced trainer, and incorporates many design elements of aircraft already flying. Their display team, “The Black Eagles,” fly T-50s, and Academy produces a kit with their markings as well. Molded in “true white” plastic (it almost glows), the part trees have a staggering amount of detail. Academy tends to design their kits with many details as separate items; this results in a bit more complex construction, but also provides kit… more |
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Soviet R-60 Missile SetsPublished:
Aero Line is a new company to me; I offered my services, and am glad to have had a chance to evaluate these missile sets. Thanks to Petr Vesely for providing the sets and IPMS/USA for sending them to me to review. First: Set AL 4014: Comprised of three missiles, two adaptors, and a transport box. The set contains 19 resin parts, (missiles with the aft fins attached, clear seeker heads, and a set of protective caps for the seekers); a photoetched sheet with forward fins and rail adaptors; and decals for the missiles and the transport box. I would say this was an excellent set for the diorama builders out there.… more |
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P-39/P-400 Landing GearPublished:
SAC continues its prolific output of gear to handle the loads on our models. Thanks to Russ at SAC for providing IPMS/USA this set, and IPMS for sending it to me for review! This is yet another drop-fit set designed for the Hasegawa P-39/P-400, an aircraft that can use it – metal replacements on a long nose-gear-legged bird…particularly true if you choose to put weight in the nose (and the P-39 needs it) to keep the aircraft sitting on all three tires. Everything was a perfect fit. Main gear legs fit tightly into the square attachment points. The nose gear slid into place as easily; the actuating ram was from the kit in plastic, but it all went where it needed to, and I have no complaints. One thing I really like about metal gear is the ability to expand parts and… more |
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C-124 Landing GearPublished:
Thanks once again to SAC for providing IPMS USA the opportunity to review one from their prolific product line…and IPMS/USA for allowing my ham-fisted efforts to continue with the reviewer corps! This is almost a no-brainer. Roden’s C-124 is an excellent kit. Short-run issues aside, it looks and carries itself like “Ol’ Shaky.” Ask Bondo Phil about his time with the ‘124 – to have crewed (and survived) those birds, even when you knew about plug fouling, engine fires, and general issues on early large aircraft, was a testament to their strong lower gastro-intestial system. The nickname unfortunately translates to its “sit” on the ground. Even in this minute scale, Roden has engineered the gear to look correct in appearance and substance – and in plastic, it’s just not… more |
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UC-78/T-50 Landing GearPublished:
Thanks to SAC for providing IPMS USA the opportunity to review one of their prolific product line…and IPMS USA for letting me take a gander! First and up front, this is not a build review. That is because there are no more Special Hobby UC-78/T-50’s out there to purchase! (And, no, I am not paying e-bay collector prices for a kit that I would not normally build.) I thought this gear went to a build on another aircraft called a T-50, which is a Korean trainer jet. I’m working that review right now…and an excellent kit it is. HOWEVER, I know that SAC provides a simple, workable solution to the problem with scale plastic landing gear…do it in metal! Short-run model companies are low-production companies compared to mainstream model kit manufacturers, and as such the plastic… more |
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Mosquito Mk IV Royal Canadian Air ForcePublished:
Thanks once again to our friends from Revell in Elk Grove, IL, who continue their program of re-releasing some of the best 1/48 models out there! Your efforts are truly appreciated by us old guys…good to see this one back. Yes, this is the venerable Monogram kit, re-released under the Revell banner. Consisting of 125 parts, this was as good as it got back in 1966 when it was first released. In the box, the changes are new decals and a generic instruction sheet. What has not changed is the model itself; it still holds its own with the newer releases from other companies, with the exception of interior details! Box art is a bit of cut/paste; looks a lot like a Korean village below that is exploding in volcanic fashion. The mold has held up well; the review kit had just a… more |
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Boeing 787-8 All Nippon AirwaysPublished:
First, thanks once again to Carol Pesch at Hobbico for providing IPMS/USA yet another new item to review. Grateful as always, we are… keep the cool stuff coming! Here we have a plastic model of a plastic airplane. Admittedly, this new addition to the airways is graceful, and definitely has a different look. When IPMS/USA provided me the opportunity to build Hasegawa’s new ANA 787, it was an easy choice. I am hopeful this bird is as successful as everyone expects! I tend to build rather fast; that has pitfalls, but in the case of this model, the build only took three separate sessions; the painting and decal effort added another six! The kit consists of approximately 57 parts; included is the standard metal screw weight thorough the forward internal bulkhead to ensure the… more |
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MiG-29 Pitot TubePublished:
1/48 Pitot – AM 48 060, $5.50 Thanks very much to Iwona and Piotr at Master Model for providing us these review items, and thanks also to IPMS/USA for passing them on to me for review. Like all Master Model (MM) pitot tubes, these are “gems”. I used the 1/48 version to upgrade my Eduard MiG 29 build from earlier this year. At the time of the original build, I ground down a piece of wire for a pitot; didn’t do a great job, but it fit the bill. Now, here comes Master Model with their jewelry-quality brass version. Had to do it! An instruction card is included as part of the packaging, containing excellent drawings and clear instructions on “how to do it”. Other companies could follow suit… Removing the old pitot tube (looks… more |